[Wasp]

With certain stressors in my life these days, I find myself wondering how my fellow INTP's react. What are your stress triggers? And what, praytell, helps you find your serenity once again?

Myself? Under stress or perhaps i'll call it confrontation, I detach. I seem to exist less in 'the here and now' and into the tortoise shell of my mind. I'm calm, i never lose it, and i chose my words more carefully than before.
Albiet, i'll flare my nostrils, clench my jaw, and become quite rigid in posture. I don't see red, i see the problem.
As to flight or fight. I'm definitely flight. If the source of the confrontation won't withdraw or see reason, then i find a way to escape.
If there is a person causing the senselessness, and not allowing me to escape using all possibilities i can think of, i've seen myself break - put a fist or foot thru a wall, or physically fend off my oppressor until they back off or allow me leave.

Calming myself is a matter of getting alone-time. Simple as that. To wind down? a book, a beer or wine, quiet, no time limits or impatient people.

Triggers? ...there's alot i could list. But the severe one is, generally, anything putting pressure on me (Ooor angry yelling, i freeze right up, but i think that's a childhood thing). As long as i feel i have the freedom to choose and when, then i can be moved. Once someone starts giving restrictions, yes/no options, time limits, or ultimatums, i'm done. I'll automatically become as stubborn [if not worse] as a mule.

What about all of you? How does one tell if you're stressed, agitated or angry?

[liliki]

Hmmm...

Under stress I usually get very emotional over the littlest of things, most of the time the emotions being of a distressed nature and *sometimes directed outwards ie crying lots or screaming with rage at everything in sight. Sometimes I will "pack up" and will appear quite blank on the outside while on the inside screaming NO NO NO! If the stress continues (usually by others forcing me to attend to the feelings of stress or the stressor) I also pack up but on the inside as well.

There usually two triggers to the above, one being being denied unstructured freetime (which is more important and fundamental than sleep), even if what is structured is quite a pleasant activity. Usually it comes with having a gazillion appointments, deadlines, ultimatums etc and then one more deadline, appointment or ultimatum knocks on my door and says "hi". The other trigger is having to access some social or emotional function, exposing my inferiority in said function. This means that when I do get stressed, I get trapped in a vicious circle that looks like this:

Stress->People try to help by asking me how I feel then offering 'helpful' suggestions to cope with stress-> This is a stressor-> more stress

As for calming myself down; it is done easiest by trying to distract myself from the feeling of stress and stressor eg by being alone and reading a book or something.

(Note that the above is merely the usual trigger and associated pattern of stress, not the only one. But to put all the triggers and patterns of stress is both impossible and will be boring to read.)

[humansponge]

Under stress: Sensitive, angry, spazzy, easily agitated
I hate being stressed out, it takes so much energy.

[nadjasix]

When people try to force me to do things, I tell them whatever they want to hear, smile at them, then continue doing exactly what I want to do.

Not worth getting mad over.

If people are being really unreasonable, it's on. I consult game theory.

If they're being annoying but still reasonable, I'll try to meet them halfway.

Too much ambient stress makes me depressed which I treat with saunas and haitha yoga or whatever until my brain is swimming in happiness chemicals.

[Richard]

Emotional implosion coupled with the loss of all my limited edition marbles.

What follows is this little piggy going to the market. The other stays home. The other was mowed down in a drug trafficking exchange gone wrong. The other disappeared when it warped the space time continuum with its psychic bacon powers. Finally the last dude went wee wee wee all the way illegally over the border in the storage compartment of a greyhound coach bus.

[BUtheBabyUnicorn]

Writing used to stress me out, not that much anymore though.
People pressuring me to make a decision stresses me out.

Dealing with stress...
Being passive aggressive about it. Yeah, not the best choice, I know.
...I most likely will do nothing and go to bed.
I rarely freak out about anything.

[crazyeddie]

Avoidance and procrastination. For example, I hesitated to comment on this thread.

Just got out of counseling session for the email phobia. Oddly enough, relaxation therapy immediately makes me want to go do paperwork or something. Unfortunately, that wore off when I got to the library, and opened up facebook.

[anarchitektur]

I have lived in a perpetual state of stress for the past two years due to a never-ending workload. Side effects include: difficulty sleeping, heightened irritability, increased alcohol consumption, and chain-smoking.

[badgers]

When I'm stressed I like being alone.
Usually I take a shower, read, listen to music, talk to someone who knows what to say, write, go on the computer.

[Signify]

What kind of stress? In most cases, I become very withdrawn socially, but I become extremely productive in all my other endeavors. I started swimming and did not stop until an hour and a half later. Stuff like that. I probably gained a huge amount of knowledge during that time to take my mind off of things.